Reprogramming My Mind To Enjoy A Routine, Which Has Helped Me Become Happier And More Successful

I remember what I was thinking when I quit my full-time job, in early 2014, the day after my 32nd birthday.

There was excitement. Wonder. And a small dose of fear.

But one of the first thoughts going through my mind was how I was looking forward to eliminating the routine.

In fact, being able to live my life without a routine to box me in was one of the facets of financial independence that I was looking forward to the most.

Being financially independent meant that I could essentially do whatever I want on a daily basis. And I surely wouldn’t want to do more or less the same thing every day if I didn’t have to.

I assumed that life without the usual routine would be fantastic.

No more getting up before the sun. No more commute. No more office politics. No more 11-hour workdays.

And for the first year or so, I mixed things up. The week became the weekend, and vice versa. I sort of put in effort to make sure that no two days were exactly the same. The days were unpredictable. And it was fun.

But I then started to settle back into a routine. And that process slowly but surely evolved toward a full-blown conclusion – to the point where I now have a very solid routine that is almost unwavering from day to day.

What’s funny and ironic about this is, I couldn’t be happier with this evolution in my life.

I absolutely love having a routine.

How did this happen? And why I am I glad this happened?

The Routine And Its Negative Connotation In Our Minds

First off, the reason why I was so looking forward to eliminating the routine is because of the negative connotation it had for me.

See, a routine is usually associated with negative aspects of our life:

Waking up at a time that might not best suit us

Commuting

Long workdays

A boss we don’t like

Office politics

Work that isn’t satisfying or purposeful

Going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark

Tasks that aren’t aligned with our passions

You get the point here.

Our brains are programmed to associate the word “routine” with negativity. That’s because our routines, as they typically exist for most of us, are often routines that aren’t to our choosing.

Most of us lack options, which forces us into a routine we wouldn’t otherwise ordinarily choose for ourselves. As a result, we feel stuck and boxed in. And that’s compounded by the fact that the routine – as routines go – is repetitive, which only serves to constantly reinforce the negative connotation.

Reprogramming My Mind

But what’s happened over the last few years, as I’ve evolved and grown as a person, is a reprogramming of my mind as it relates to the connotation for the routine.

My routine is now associated with positive aspects of my life.

The routine now has a positive connotation for me.

What was required for this to happen is, I put myself in a position to customize my routine. That customization of the routine is for me and by me.

But this is only possible because I put myself in a position to customize the routine in the first place. I’ve avoided exposure to a negative routine by living below my means, intelligently investing my excess capital into high-quality dividend growth stocks, and becoming financially independent in my early 30s.

And one of the best options to execute toward that end is to build out a custom routine that you thoroughly enjoy every single day.

Once you do this, and once you set up a routine that completely fills you with joy every day, your mind reprograms itself to associate the routine with positivity, happiness, and enthusiasm. You look forward to the routine instead of dreading it. It’s a massive paradigm shift in your mind and life.

Enjoying My Routine

This may come as a surprise to some people, but I basically live one day over and over again. Each day in my life is almost indistinguishable to the next. Monday looks a lot like Wednesday. And Friday operates very similarly to Sunday.

I wake up around the same time every day. I allocate the same window of time for checking emails before jumping in the shower and doing everything exactly the same. I wear one of three different workout shirts (coordinated to the corresponding workout). I tend to eat lunch at the same place – within a 10-minute window. I eat very similar – or even the same – meals every day. I show up to the same coffee shop, at the same time, and order the same thing, regardless of the day. I’m at the gym six days a week, and I usually arrive around the same time each day. My workouts are already preprogrammed based on the day.

What’s perhaps even more surprising is, I couldn’t be more excited to spring out of bed every morning and start this routine of mine.

But it’s only because this routine is basically my “perfect day”, lived over and again.

I imagined in my mind what my “perfect day” would look like.

What would I do if I could do anything? What would I do every day if I had unlimited money?

Well, I basically live that life.

Discussing my exact routine with detail will be saved for another time, but the point is this: my routine is highly enjoyable because it’s the routine I’ve specifically and precisely chosen for myself based on lifestyle elements that I’ve come to realize make me feel happiest, most content, and most purposeful.

A Routine Eliminates Meaningless and Time-Consuming Choices

I’ve read how millionaires and billionaires have these routines that lock them into predetermined choices, day after day.

They’ll get up at the same time. Eat the same kind of food for breakfast. Allot the same amount of time for certain tasks. Wear the same kind of clothes.

They’ll have a certain number of meetings, stick to certain daily tasks, and make certain phone calls at certain times of day.

So on and so forth.

I used to think this was strange. Even bordering on silly.

After all, if you could do anything with your day(s), why not make every day different?

Well, I’ve come to realize that setting up a routine you enjoy isn’t only about maximizing happiness, contentment, and purposefulness, but it’s also just as much about eliminating needless and meaningless choices from one’s life – choices that will only take away from the aforementioned enjoyment and happiness of one’s daily routine.

Allocating resources toward choices that have no measurable impact on your life or the world around you is ultimately a waste of resources. As successful people tend to be wonderful and skilled at allocating resources properly, eliminating these choices from one’s life is a natural byproduct of logic.

It’s about setting up daily habits that put you in the best position possible to succeed in the parts of your life that matter most.

What these daily habits look like for each person will look differently.

But the key part of it is eliminating choices that make very little difference to the end result of the sum of your life’s accomplishments.

The Difference Between High-Value Choices And Low-Value Choices

That’s because there’s a massive difference between high-value and low-value choices.

While having almost unlimited options in life is a really wonderful life position to be in, we have to weigh that against the fact that we all have 24 hours in a day.

Moreover, our brains can only process so many thoughts at one time.

Paralyzing yourself with analysis paralysis over, say, which kind of sandwich you’re going to order for lunch takes away time and energy that could be allocated toward high-value choices. It might not sound like much in one instance, but it compounds very quickly across one’s life in aggregate.

And so we must allocate our limited and valuable resources toward high-value choices that actually matter.

A great example of this is Warren Buffett’s daily visits to McDonald’s every morning.

He stops in and orders one of three breakfasts – depending on what the stock market is doing. The choice of which breakfast to order is already determined by factors outside of his control, essentially making his choice for him.

He doesn’t waste time thinking about where to go for breakfast, what to order, and whether or not that would be a good choice. That’s because he knows the resources spent on this would add no value to his life, all while simultaneously taking away immense value. If you net-net it out, it’s a huge subtraction from one’s life.

The McDonald’s he goes to is on his way to the office – the same five-minute drive he’s been making for over 50 years.

His entire day, in terms of mundane and repetitive tasks, is already set up ahead of time. And this frees him up to make far more meaningful choices that can literally impact millions of lives.

Someone else can do the math on what one wasted minute would cost Buffett (especially at his advanced age), but it’s a process that can be scaled down to anyone’s life and effectively replicated.

And that’s exactly what I’ve done.

I’ve, for example, eliminated a resource-wasting choice like which coffee shop to go to, or what coffee to drink, while I read and write for three hours per day. I found a place that’s a close walk away. The coffee is great. The service is on point. And the seating is comfortable. It’s my happy place.

Where to go and what to order is no longer a choice. It’s a non-choice.

Converting meaningless choices into non-choices via an enjoyable routine is a very effective way to free up resources for meaningful choices.

Conclusion

I have daily habits. But they’re great habits to have for the aforementioned reasons.

Society tends to have a negative connotation when it comes to habits, too. But that’s because too many people have bad habits. If/when you develop great habits, your whole perspective on having habits will also change for the better.

A routine can be a fantastic thing. It can highly complement everything else in your life, cohesively and holistically fitting all of the moving parts together in a way that makes the individual pieces of your life more than they otherwise would be in isolation.

However, a routine can only exist like this when it’s a routine that you thoroughly enjoy because it’s a routine that you’ve chosen for yourself.

It should be a routine that’s customized for you and by you.

When this occurs, you end up reprogramming your brain to think of a routine with a positive connotation.

Once you set up the daily habits and routines that maximize exactly who you are, all while eliminating useless choices that serve to drag on your resources, you’ll likely find that you magnify your happiness, contentment, and purposefulness, which should greatly improve your quality of life and potential as a human being.

This is particularly great for someone like myself, as I have a brain that is constantly working to analyze and question everything around me.

My brain never turns off. It’s a gift and a curse, but I’ve tried to maximize the former while minimizing the latter by eliminating as many low-value choices from my life as possible. I’d probably drive myself crazy if I spent a ton of time on every single possible choice on a daily basis.

I’ve never been more happy to spring out of bed and start my routine than I am right now. I’ve never been more pleased about today or more excited about tomorrow. I know exactly what to expect, with no surprises.

Some might think that’s dull. But it’s actually not dull at all when your expectation is to be delighted with your day. It’s a “perfect day” you live over and over again.

Lastly, I want to quickly note that having a daily routine like this doesn’t mean there’s no room for spontaneity.

Quite the contrary, once you eliminate low-value choices from your life, you have so much more time to set aside for serendipity and value-added pursuits that are both planned and unplanned. You have time because you can make time. You can make time because you don’t waste any of it.

I hope to soon share my exact routine here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. While it’s not necessarily going to be a routine you would enjoy, it’s one that I have come to thoroughly love.

P.S. If you’re excited about the idea of building a custom routine for yourself, check out this list ofamazing resources that helped me achieve financial and location independence in my early 30s. This lifestyle has allowed me the options necessary to live my “perfect day” over and over again!

About Jason Fieber

Jason Fieber became financially free at 33 years old through a combination of hard work, frugal living, strategic entrepreneurship, intelligent investing, and geographic arbitrage. He currently lives his early retirement dream life in Thailand. Jason has authored two best-selling books: The Dividend Mantra Way and5 Steps To Retire In 5 Years (also available in paperback).

Absolutely. I feel the same. When I’m off schedule even by a few minutes, or when my lunch (the same dish every day) tastes a bit different, it throws me off. I get into this really crazy groove, but I love it.

I am FI also. I won’t get into details of my routine but my mornings I consider physical fitness time whether at the gym or running outside based on my workout schedule. I am looking forward to warmer weather so I can ride my bike to the gym. I consider this to be part of my new career. By the time I am done with my morning routine it’s lunch time. Afternoons are hobby time for me and evenings are spent with my wife. Weekends are time with wife, friends and family.

I am 42 and wife is 40. She has the option to semi-retire but she loves her job. It does make her feel good to know she has the option. I am in the process of figuring out how I can monetize my afternoon hobby time.

You have a routine now, but it’s not to your choosing. I think once you become financially independent and create a routine that’s customized for you and by you, you’ll begin to find a lot of benefits in it. 🙂

I think human likes routine. It’s familiar and you don’t have to think too hard. You’re right about autonomy. The reason why I didn’t like routine when I was working full time was because the lack of autonomy. It was someone else’s routine that I had to follow. Now, I live life at my own schedule. Routine is now a good thing because I built it around my core value.

I read about this same concept in Scott Adams’ book – How to fail at almost everything and still win big. He has these systems (routines) that he follows and he’s very successful in life. My days are mostly routine now too. It’s simpler and I’m more productive. You can see my weekly routine here – http://retireby40.org/my-unglamorous-early-retirement-lifestyle/

Ha! I hear you on the food. Dinner has a lot of variety for me. It’s something different all the time. But the daytime routine is my “9-5” (or something like that) – and lunch is pretty much automated away now.

There’s definitely something comforting about the familiar. I agree with you. That’s probably why moving abroad strikes a lot of people as a scary idea. But it becomes familiar very quickly once you create a new routine that’s better suited to your new environment/mindset. I think people underestimate that aspect of it.

You’d surely enjoy a meal at the market I frequent or a coffee at my usual spot. 🙂

In all seriousness, though, my evenings are never one and the same. And they’re usually somewhat free. I keep them open in part to have time to meet people. I don’t think anyone, even Buffett, has a strict routine for their “post-productive” time.

Interesting the second article I can across today regarding routine. Ryan Holiday wrote the other one. Interesting because both espouse the value of routine but also both within the context of flexibility.

Great timing as I am about to pull the trigger on some U.S. based geographic arbitrage.

Within the context of flexibility is spot on. It’s a routine you enjoy because you’re the one setting it up. And if it ever ceases to be enjoyable, you simply change it to better suit you. So it’s fixed and flexible at the same time.

I know that March/April in Chiang Mai is when farmers start fires, I would like to know your experience with that, is it is really bad the qualiy of air?
It was another good reason for escape holiday in Samui at that time, right?

This isn’t really on topic, but I planned our Samui trip in March because that’s when my girlfriend has her birthday. I wanted to go anyway. And it was a great time to pull out a nice gift like that. The burning season timing was coincidental, but I figured why not kill one more bird with one stone?

That said, I’ve been here through the entire thing (other than our short trip). I have no idea what all the fuss is about. But if it does bother someone (which is possible if they have health issues), there’s an easy and cheap solution. You go buy a mask for a few dollars and go on about your life.

Or one can always move elsewhere and deal with whatever new/different drawbacks one finds at that place.

Jason,
“There was excitement. Wonder. And a small dose of fear.” I remember those same emotions when I quit my day job at 48 years old. I call it structure rather than routine and I have built a lot of it in my life. I like structure. I like to plan my days and weeks. Tom

I hear you there. Structure is another way to look at it. Of course, it’s a structure you build for yourself (rather than someone else building it for you). And that’s part of what makes it so enjoyable. 🙂

Very powerful article! Routines are the key success in life! I don’t have as strict of a routine as you do but I follow a very similar pattern. I wake up around the same time every day, I make pretty much the same thing for breakfast and allot the same amount of time in my day to check emails stock announcements ect. Afterward I go to the gym only 4 days a week (because I’m not financially free like you yet ) and then I make lunch shower and go to work. I would say it helps me from not spending money needlessly and I enjoy the routine! I do mix it up every now and then but ever so often,

I think that mindset and structure you already have will serve you well not only as you march toward financial independence, but it will also cement certain aspects of your life in place once you achieve it. You’ll already be hitting the ground running, setting yourself up for success and happiness. It will only get better after freedom because you’ll then be able to totally customize that structure and play with it as you go. Creating your “perfect day” and living it over and over again is, in my opinion, a dream to aim for.

Hey Jason! Great post. Similar to you, I have a mind that likes to analyze a lot, and will continue to analyze a problem or situation, playing out different scenarios or analyzing it from different perspectives, until it has reached a solution or conclusion it finds acceptable. Like you said, it can be both a gift and a curse.

I totally agree, that routines can be useful. Having a routine allows me to sleep longer because I take longer to get ready for work. A routine helps me perform better in soccer, because I know which stretches and warm-ups optimize my game readiness. However, not all of my positive routines are desirable.

For example, during the colder part of the year, on Sunday nights I make several gallons of fresh soup. It takes very little additional time for me to cook several gallons of soup from scratch in comparison to the time it would take to cook just a couple of bowls. Once the soup is cooked I have a bowl or two and then later jar the rest. The rest I take with me to work for lunch Monday – Friday, and I also have for dinner after soccer practice on Tuesday and Thursday.

This is a positive routine, because I’m not buying lunch at work. There are no restuarants near where I work. There is a grocery store about a five minute walk away, but the kinds of things I would eat are usually sold out unless I go there earlier than when I would eat lunch. My company has a cafeteria, but the food is bland, over priced, and seldom healthy. So this soup gives me healthy, cheap, and better tasting lunches. It also saves time waiting in line and decided which would be the least bad option on the menu. Similarly with soccer, I go straight from work to practice and I don’t leave practice until around 9pm, and don’t get home until 9:30. I can microwave the soup in a few minutes rather than buy some unhealhy fast food.

I view this as a positive routine and would not change anything right now. I save time because I don’t have to spend time preparing lunches every morning for work (I just grab a jar from the fridge), I eat healthier, and I spend less money. Just let me tell you, I get sick of soup. When I first started this, I would only have one type of soup, which I would be tired of eating by wednesday. After several weeks. I started a routine so that meant I had two types of soup in the fridge at any time. The added variety of the soup helps a bit, but every year, after about a month, I’m really not into eating soup so much. I continue to do it because it is still the best option for me for all of the above reasons.

For me, one of the things I look forward to with financial independence is the ability to have more variety. The more time I have available to use as I wish, the more variety I can have in my life. There are very few things I could the same every day and still enjoy. I know I will adapt to FI when I reach it, but I look forward to building routines that allow for variety, several times per day 😉

I hear you on the soup. I did the ramen noodle thing for about a year. I was literally gagging on it by the end. Unless you thoroughly enjoy something, it’s tough to eat it that often.

There’s always room for spontaneity and variety, as I noted in the article. That’s especially true if you have your productivity heavily structured. If you can supercharge whatever it is you’d like to be productive at, that frees up a ton of resources for the other areas of your life. You can live your best day over and over again by being the best version of yourself, which invites a ton of serendipity.

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About Me

I'm Jason Fieber, Mr. Free At 33. I became financially free at 33 years old by working really hard, living well below my means, engaging in strategic entrepreneurship, intelligently investing, and using geographic arbitrage to my advantage. I currently live in Thailand, where I'm making my early retirement dreams come true. I write and coach so that I can help others make their early retirement dreams come true.

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